


Collateral Damage

by velvetsun



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: AU, Fluff, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-15
Updated: 2011-07-15
Packaged: 2017-10-21 09:58:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/223925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/velvetsun/pseuds/velvetsun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jensen finds a puppy, life gets messy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Collateral Damage

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dephigravity](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dephigravity/gifts).



It's quiet out at this time of the day, the sun staining the horizon in pink and golden hues. Jensen loves running in the early morning, when he can actually drag his ass out of bed that is. Sometimes, all the caffeine in the world is not a big enough motivator.

But early mornings have always had peacefulness that no other part of the day holds for Jensen. It's not something he can really describe. If he needs time to think or get some perspective, it has always helped him with that. He just feels better after a run. And given that he bombed his O-Chem exam yesterday and has to spend his _entire_ spring break writing a paper to make up for it, he needs the added boost. At least Professor Morgan had been in a generous mood, he'd been lucky. Damn Jared and his brilliant ideas. The sex may have been worth it, but O-Chem is not Jensen's strongest subject, and he really should have used the night to cram. They were both supposed to be leaving the next day to go back home for a few days though, and Jensen has always been weak where Jared's concerned.

He's in the home stretch, winding through the park to cut over to his apartment. Normally, he'd take Kennedy over to Franklin, down past the hardware store to Starbucks, walking the last block to cool down with his cherished Caramel Macchiato. It adds another mile this way, but he's kinda enjoying the burn in his legs and the light, airy feeling he gets from running. He'll hit the Starbucks on campus at the other end of the park.

The path cuts into the hillside as it wraps around to the left and climbs the last few yards out of the woods onto the road leading out of the park. Movement to his right catches his eye and he slows, but the high weeds obscure his view. Jensen dismisses it, not deeming it important enough to stop and investigate when a high-pitched yip sounds off behind him.

Curious, he turns around to find a smiling ball of fur sitting in the path behind him. Tail wagging, the puppy barks again before glomping over to plop on top of Jensen's foot.

Bending down Jensen smiles softly, reaching to scratch behind his ear, "Hey there. What are you doin' out here little guy?"

The pup, apparently takes that as his cue to smother Jensen in slobbering kisses as he jumps up placing his front paws on Jensen's thigh. He’s light brown and black, almost appears to be a Shepard, or at least part Shepard anyway. Jensen’s sure he can’t be more than a couple months old.

"You got a collar, buddy?" he says, looking down over the puppy's neck, but there isn't one. "Huh? Where do you belong?"

Jensen looks up, still petting over the soft fur, searching for someone else in the woods, hoping the owner's nearby. But the park is pretty deserted, save for a couple of people he passed on the other side coming in. They were runners as well though, and he doesn't remember there being a leash or anything similar in their hands.

He sighs. "Don't you have a home, little guy?"

Jensen looks down at the face that perks up at the inflection, his head cocked slightly.

"Will you go back home if I just leave you here? You have to belong to someone."

Jensen pats him on the head and stands, "Go on, go home, go," he says, pointing to a spot in front of him as he looks at the puppy. Confused, the puppy just stares at him, and Jensen can feel his resolve already begin to falter. He turns and starts to run back to his apartment and hopes the dog's home is nearby.

The puppy, though, has other plans.

– ₴ – 

Which is how Jensen finds himself in a room full of what he assumes to be left of several throw pillows from his couch. Yes it’s old, and a hand-me-down from his brother, Josh, but that’s so not the point. It was certainly never meant to be dog chow.

"Don't look at me like that. _You_ are grounded."

A pathetic whine sounds from the evil little furball that has been masquerading as a cute, innocent puppy. He’s looking up at him, currently buried in a mountain of fluffy white stuffing. The shell of what once was a pillow is underneath his paws where his head is resting, soft little tufts of cotton clinging to his ears and spread out over his back and the floor.

"No. Don't even start. It ain't gonna work this time, dude. Maybe if I hadn't already lost my favorite shirt, three shoes _and_ most of my dinner yesterday, I might let you slide. You've been here a week, and somehow, the only things suffering are mine. First thing tomorrow, you’re getting a crate."

If Jensen didn't know better, the whimper that follows makes it sound as if his warning was understood. And Jensen would be lying if he didn’t get some perverse pleasure from that.

He walks over and pulls the pillow out from underneath Cujo, his nickname until Jared gets back so they can properly name him, and scoops up the all the stuffing. The remnants of two other pillows off to his left meeting a similar demise are just the latest in what’s becoming disturbingly long line of Jensen’s things in the trash.

"You're lucky you're cute. It's probably the only reason you're still alive," Jensen mutters, feeling his anger already begin to fade as he walks away. It really is hard not to smile at the little monster. In less than a week, he’s pretty much elevated pitiful to an art form.

Jensen knows how much Jared has been wanting a dog, dropping hints about a subtle as brick. And with their anniversary coming up next week, he can’t deny the timing of it. He swore to himself that he wasn’t going to cave though, both of them in class all day and working a couple nights a week. They just don’t have the time to devote to him. If no one claims him, Jensen’s sure they’ll make it work, somehow.

He put up flyers yesterday around the park, and along the route he runs. And even though it’s only been a few days, he almost hopes no one steps forward. Despite his appetite for Jensen’s stuff, he’s developed a bit of a soft spot for the little mutt.

Jensen’s also fairly sure that the thank you sex, will be mind-blowing. That's all he's sayin'.

– ₴ – 

Jensen had planned on having everything done. But, he’d gotten lost in his paper, determined to get it finished before Jared got home. Now, he’s paying for it. He’d jumped in the shower and forgotten to lock Cujo in his crate, only to find the roll of toilet paper that was in the bathroom stretched out all over the apartment and a pair of his socks chewed beyond recognition when he got out. That was just in the hallway.

“No, no, no, no. I know it’s really hard for you to restrain yourself,” he growls, bending over to grab up his socks and something else there isn’t enough left to identify, “but did you have to do this now? Jared’s gonna be here in less than an hour.”

After getting the hallway cleaned up, he grabs the ball of toilet paper and the tattered remains of his socks and heads into the kitchen to hit the trash. As he rounds the corner, Jensen can’t really find words to describe what he sees.

“Oh. My. God!”

Evidently, Hurricane Cujo also struck in the kitchen, namely, the trash can. Jensen stands at the doorway completely dumbstruck, eyes wide and mouth gaping as he looks back and forth from the kitchen to Cujo. Cujo is rather disinterested though. He’s licking his paws as if he were cleaning up after a job well done, and Jensen is pretty much in awe at how much destruction can come from something so little.

“I don’t even – how did you –” he starts, mouth opening and closing repeatedly, but there really _aren’t_ words. He didn’t think Cujo could even reach the top of the trash can, let alone knock it over and help himself to its contents.

Jensen, not for the first time these past few days, is beginning to seriously reconsider their foray into puppyhood. His parents never let him have a dog growing up and he’s beginning to understand why. Glancing up at the clock, there’s less than thirty minutes before Jared’s due and he’s still a mess, the kitchen, well, he doesn’t need to even go there. He didn’t get to start dinner, which he’d planned as an addition to the puppy, and the little monster has the gall to sit there and appear smug. Jensen contemplates the merits of a puppy-shaped soccer ball, and decides the visual is satisfying enough because he just isn’t that cruel.

The entire floor is coated with a layer of garbage: empty soda cans, a couple fast food bags completely emptied of their contents and strewn about, chewed up paper towels, and other items mangled to such a degree, he’s not even sure what they were at one point.

He runs around the kitchen frantically trying to get it all cleaned up knowing now that it’ll be impossible to even get dinner started in time. The steaks he splurged on will have to wait until tomorrow. It’s looking like Chinese is the next best thing. Jared’s favorite restaurant is Peking Garden down the street; maybe the delivery time won’t be too long. It’s not as if Jared would care, but god help him, Jensen wanted to make it _special._ He cringes at how girly that actually sounds in his head. He knows he’s not exactly the most forthcoming when it comes to his feelings. It’s part of the reason why he wanted to do this. He’s never been with someone longer than a couple months, and a year is a big deal to him.

Order placed, the apartment is…semi-clean, and Cujo is occupied with one of his _own_ chew toys for a change; Jensen collapses on the sofa with a few minutes to spare.

– ₴ – 

As it happens, the whole surprise thing is rather anticlimactic actually. Jared had called to let Jensen know his flight was late. So, when he walked into the apartment throwing his bags just inside the door and toeing off his shoes, Jensen was dropping the food off in the kitchen.

“Jen?”

“Just a sec.”

As Jensen comes around the corner, he sees the two of them in a staring contest. Cujo is sitting on the floor in front of the sofa, looking deceptively innocent, wrapped up in the big red bow Jensen placed around his neck just before the food arrived. While Jared is frozen in mid step just inside the door with a bemused expression on his face.

Jensen walks over scooping up Cujo on the way, “Dude, we talked about this. You were supposed to stay hidden,” he chides.

He looks up at Jared then, puppy squirming in his arms and trying to attack the ribbon. “Surprise?”

Jensen’s willing to admit that as corny as it may be, the blinding smile on Jared’s face made it all worth it.

– ₴ – 

“So, how insufferable is Megan now that she’s sixteen?” he says, sitting next to Jared on the couch. Empty Chinese cartons litter the coffee table just beyond where he has his feet propped up. The puppy, barely having left Jared’s arms since he got home, is fast asleep in Jared’s lap.

“After I reminded her that she didn’t have a car to go with that shiny new license, she mellowed out a bit.”

“Heh, sounds like Mack.”

“My mom said they planned to help her with that, the same deal Jeff and I got.”

“Ah. Paying half?”

Jared nods. “As bad as her shopping habits are man, I’m thinking this time next year she might actually have one,” he says, laughing.

There’s a long moment of companionable silence before Jensen feels Jared yawn against his shoulder, “So, what are we gonna name ‘im?”

Still sleeping, Jensen assumes that all that destruction must be rather exhausting, Cujo rolls over and Jared looks down and smiles as he continues to scratch his belly.

Snickering, Jensen offers, “I don’t know, I’ve been calling him Cujo.”

Jared sits up turning to him, looking both personally affronted and amused. “What’s wrong with you?” he says, pulling Cujo into his arms seemingly to protect him from Jensen.

 _“What?”_

“You named him after a murderous, rabid dog that had to be shot?”

“I thought it was fitting.” He grins. “Besides, I think you’re mixing up Old Yeller in there somewhere. Cujo was beaten to death, Old Yeller was shot.”

“The question still stands.”

Cujo’s awake now, tucked safe into Jared’s arms, and if Jensen didn’t know better he’d say he was glaring at him for his nap having been cut short. Nuzzling his nose under Jared’s chin as if he can sense that it’s crucial he appear innocent right now, Cujo resettles himself and goes back to sleep. Jensen’s gotta give it to him, the little guy is smart, evil, but smart.

“We’ll see what happens when he destroys some of _your_ favorite things.”

“He’s just a puppy Jensen, he doesn’t know any better.”

“So hypothetically, if he ate your prized Spurs championship sweatshirt, that wouldn’t bother you, right?”

Jared narrows his eyes after they flicker down to Cujo and back, unable to really see his face from his position, “He didn’t.”

Jensen just smiles and feels completely vindicated.

– ₴ – 

“I can’t do this,” Jared says as he looks over at Cujo who’s sitting in the corner of their bedroom on the little bed that Jensen made for him out of old blankets. He should be in his crate, but Jared doesn’t believe the carnage he’s capable of and wouldn’t have it. Jensen almost can’t wait for the morning, because Jared is so cleaning that shit up. And if that weren’t bad enough, despite all of Jensen’s efforts, now the little monster is keeping him from getting laid. Jensen has limits.

“Why?” he gruffs out, drawing the syllable out longer than necessary, as if the added emphasis will actually propel Jared into action.

“Look at him. His beady little eyes are just –”

“What happened to – he’s just a puppy, Jay,”

“Well, that was before he looked like he was evaluating me,”

Jensen cups his palm around Jared’s cheek, guiding his head back toward him, “He’s not the one you have to worry about.” He leans up to kiss Jared, his hand sliding to tangle in the soft curls at Jared’s nape. It’s probably the most lukewarm, room temperature kiss he’s ever gotten from him. When he opens his eyes just before pulling away, Jared’s are already open and cut to the left, _staring at the dog_. He sighs, flopping his hand down to the bed. Jensen’s willing to concede defeat for now, another round lost to the wicked little hairball. Not that he's keeping track or anything.

“Fine. C’mon Cujo, get up here.”

There’s a string of contented little barks that follow as he jumps up and Jared slips over to Jensen’s side. He thought it’d be okay for him to lay down by their feet for tonight; maybe he’ll get lucky after he‘s relaxed and asleep. But in true Cujo style, he jumps over Jensen to settle between them and snuggles up to Jared, stretched out along his chest. Jared smiles and wraps an arm around him to keep him close.

“Oh, come _on_.” So much for that idea.

Jensen’s not giving up just yet though. His plans may have been ruined tonight, but he’s already planning his revenge and it’s gonna be sweet.

“Tomorrow, he goes in his crate.”

It’s possible he’s just tired, but he could swear he actually heard two whimpers this time.


End file.
